3:43 PM,
Nov. 10, 2012

Owner Shirley Palmer-Hill, left, with artist and sales associate Diana Hecht at Wickwire Gallery on Main Street in Hendersonville.

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When Shirley Palmer-Hill became sole owner of Wickwire Fine Art/Folk Art in July 2000, this Illinois native said she felt like she "was coming home."

That's because her childhood home in the suburbs of Chicago was art-filled: Her father was an artist; her friends were artists; and afternoons were spent exploring the area's rich museums.

"I don't have an artistic background," she noted. "I was interested in the business side of things and marketing. My father, who died when I was young, was actually the inspiration of why I am in the business." ...